Shane Battier’s unbeatable baby story

His wife Heidi was bed-ridden last spring, awaiting the birth of their second child.

“We knew when it came, it could be very sudden,” Battier said.

Battier was with the Grizzlies, playing the Spurs in the first round in San Antonio. It was the first game. It was early in the afternoon.

“She was watching the game in Houston, and she got up to go to the restroom,” Battier said. “And all of a sudden, it started to hemorrhage. Luckily our babysitter was there watching our son, and she called the neighbors. And Heidi was admitted to the hospital by 3:30. By 3:45, she was under general anesthesia, and Eliose was out. So it was really quick.”

Meanwhile, Battier was occupied: he would sink the game-winning three to end Memphis’ playoff drought at 12 games.

After the game, Battier’s teammates were messing with him, in celebration.

Rudy Gay approached Battier.

“He says, ‘You know, I think you’ve got to get out of here, I think your wife is having your kid,'” Battier said. “I was like, ‘All right, I’ll be there in a second. Enough jokes, enough jokes!'”

Word had gotten back to Steve Novak, Battier’s friend and then a Spurs forward, and had been passed along to the Memphis training staff. It just hadn’t reached Battier. And then he finally turned on his phone.

“I had like 15 messages,” he said.

Battier got in touch with the doctor. And he got in Novak’s car.

“And by the luck of God, we were in San Antonio, just three hours away,” Battier said. “My brother is a truck driver living in Houston, who was at the game in San Antonio, and knew all the fastest routes, knew where all the cops were.”

He missed the birth by about two hours.

His wife had come out of anesthesia.

But there was one more surprise.

“We hadn’t found out what we were having,” Battier said. “I was told, ‘Your ladies are waiting for you.’ It was almost out of a movie. Heidi was healthy. It was pretty storybook. Just the fact that we had a 12 o’clock tip in San Antonio, the only place outside of Houston where I could have gone back. If it was a 4 o’clock tip, or a 7 o’clock tip, I miss that game, and not saying we don’t win the series, but maybe we don’t win that game. And maybe history is altered. The Gods smiled upon me that day.”